1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image processing apparatuses and methods, and programs used therewith, and, in particular, to an image processing apparatus and method for grouping pieces of information so as to highly match a user's subjective intention, and a program used therewith.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, various technologies for grouping images captured by a digital camera have been proposed.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. 2001-54041 and 2001-51877 disclose technologies that manage captured images by grouping the images in units of image-capture dates on the basis of image-capture-date information obtained in image capturing.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-191015 discloses a technology that manages captured images by recording the images and image-capture-position information obtained by the GPS (Global Positioning System) or the like so that both are associated with each other and grouping the images in accordance with distances from a reference position to image-capture positions of the images. According to this technology, when an image is captured at a position close to an image-capture position of a certain captured image, the certain captured image, and the image, which is later captured, are managed as images belonging to the same group.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-298991 discloses a technology that manages captured images in units of events on the basis of information of events registered in a calendar and information of image-capture dates obtained in image capturing. According to this technology, when, for example, a “trip” is registered as an event occurring on a predetermined date in a calendar by a user, captured images whose image-capture dates are identical to the predetermined date are managed as images belonging to the same group.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-254746 discloses a technology in which images captured at intervals of a predetermined time or less are managed as images belonging to the same group. According to this technology, in a case in which each interval serving as a criterion for grouping is, for example, ten minutes, when image capturing is performed within ten minutes after earlier image capturing is performed, an image obtained by the earlier image capturing and an image obtained by the later image capturing are managed as images belonging to the same group. Conversely, when image capturing is performed after a lapse of ten minutes after performing the earlier image capturing, an image captured in the earlier image capturing and an image captured in the later image capturing are managed as images belonging to different groups.